thank you again for joining us. stay right here because we're gonna be joining the inaugural ceremony live in washington, d.c. this is a fox news special presentation.

i'm shepherd smith in washington. good morning on inauguration day. states. my station throughout the orning and early afternoon. in fact today's oath will be just for show. president obama took the oath of office yesterday in a small ceremony in the white house, keeping with that little matter of the constitution which mandates the january 20th will be the transition day from one presidential term to the next. vice president biden was sworn in at his official residence yesterday morning. our capital packed with visitors and dignitaries on a very chilly washington day but nothing like it was four years ago. you see the crowds out, maybe a third as many as last time and not nearly as cold. the winds are pretty calm. temperature is in the low 40s. it will get cold tonight. they will have a lot to see out there. musical performance,

speeches parade, inaugural ball. as martha maccallum said this morning on the fox news channel, it is not over until beyonce sings. this will for own takes as moments swearing in. here are the dignitarieses right on the front. latest "fox news poll" shows president obama heads into the second term, decidedly, look at that, president clinton is there coming in now. a.b. stoddard with me as well from "the hill". ab, what a day. fairly warm for a washington january. >> it was supposed to be much colder. eight degrees we got are much appreciated. crowds that are here are really excited. they are smaller than last time but very excited. shepard: former first lady after serious health problems seems to being doing pretty well on a chilly day with her husband. >> they are not only the stars of the democratic party but two of the most popular people in the world. the bush presidents are not going to be in attendance

today. the clintons haed to be here and hold up the tradition. shepard: indeed. certainly glad that president bush 41 is home and resting and doing well after about some serious time in the hospital in icu. but his family says he is doing very well and so glad to be back home in texas. >> that is a big relief. everyone worried through the holiday season about is extended day. he is so bee of the lo. he would be here if he could have been. shepard: this crowd is uniquely american experience. the changing of the guard, it happens, we're not really changing the guard this time but inaugurating a president for the second time. the peaceful transition, one of the cornerstones of this democracy and republic. >> that's right. although people are comparing this since 2008 it is our civic tradition we show the world we hold together in this moment. we show the world we can transfer power or affirm that power peacefully. that we are the pride of the world and the greatest democracy. no matter the weather and no matter the sense of disappointment or lowered expectations it is still a very important day for our

country. spectacular one out here. we got out this morning about 8:00. the crowds were already forming. the lines were long. wendell goler our main man at the white house has been there for decades. you saw another former president. wendell goler live from the capitol building. wendell, good to see you. >> reporter: shepard, president obama joins franklin delano roost velt as only president to take the oath of office four times. you're not seeing me, back of my head. the inaugural committee mandates only its cameras are used on-site during the actual program. president roosevelt was elected four terms. president obama got the virtue of january 20th landing on a sunday and chief justice roberts flubbing the oath in 2009. he used a note card yesterday. probably will use it today, shepard. shepard: justice sotomayor

you saw. a funny story from last night. i flown in from turks and caicos for a quick vacation and taking a delta flight from kennedy. it was supposed to take off at 8:30. there were big mechanical problems. they were towing it from the gate. the toe bar got caught underneath the plane. it might have been me and my colleagues on the flight it might have stayed there. in front of me a lady was talking to the marshals as she called them if there was another way or train to get to washington. just happened it was justice sotomayor. someone from the plane said, your honor, we will get you there. and, indeed they did. justice sotomayor, to deliver the fourth inaugural swearing in today here at the capitol. doug mckelway, our correspondent from d.c. on the parade route from freedom plaza. how is the view there? >> reporter: shep, we probably have the best view of anybody along the parade

route. we're 13th and pennsylvania avenue. as i look at the capitol about a mile away we have unadulterated view. the preparations are just immense. you see a couple tangible examples of that. notice in the 13 blocks leading back to the capitol there are no traffic lights whatsoever. that is because they removed them in order for the inauguration parade to be unencoupler abouted. workers come down here just the day before to take all the traffic lights out. when the parade is done they put them back in. that is one tangible example. there are others. for example, they weld all the manhole covers shut. es cannono undertakevolent their dirty deeds. for a nation swimming in red ink a lot of people are concerned about the cost of the modern day inauguration. to be fair, a lot of the costs are picked up by corporate sponsors and by private donations. such things as the port-a-potties thank god, the television things and

parade were all paid for by private contributions of the while the secret service doesn't like to discuss it they did reimburse the district of columbia government some $44 million for the last inauguration in 2009. that probably just scratches the surface of the cost the taxpayers are putting. if you look over the parade route the police presence is just unbelievable. there are probably police officers every 10 feet. i did some quick calculations, it is 1.6 miles from the capitol to the white house and with police interspersed that often on the parade route alone there are over 1700 police officers. that of course does not include the plainclothes guys filtering in and out of the crowd, the 40 or so police agencies including capitol police, secret service, national park police and police from surrounding jurisdictions who have come here to help out. we're told that the parade route now is closed off to all people because the parade route is filled up. however there are ticketed areas where there is still

lots of room. i think a hunch maybe a third or half as many people are expected for inauguration as last one is probably right about right on. shep? shepard: thank you, sir. we just saw bo biden, the vice president's son and military hero himself, walking in with the biden family bible which i will be used for those purposes. hello, there. a a.b. stoddard, aociate editor and columnist for "the hill" newspaper is here with us from d.c. i mentioned a meant ago. ab, looking forward as we see former president carter there, i guess an enormous again today ahead for the president and the tone is set today. >> right. the tone is set after americans anxiously watched the fiscal cliff fight at christmastime, worried their taxes would go up. knowing that the parties are torn, polarized, not speaking to each other and the president has a lot of work to begin tomorrow. just a short time, unlike the first time riding high on public opinion and four years ahead of him, everyone

else who has to face an election unlike president obama is looking at the elections in 2014 and midterm elections. he doesn't have a lot of time before he is truly a lame duck and he knows that. shepard: so there is work to be done. we begin by swearing him in this morning in washington. it will be quite an event. everybody who is anybody is here. except as you mentioned some from the bush family who stayed back home in texas. our expectation is, that we'll get started here pretty quick. they're going to follow tradition from start to finish. >> yes. it is a day full of much ceremony. there is order to this day. it really doesn't change. there is going to be a luncheon. as you know, 200 place settings were set last night in statuary hall for a luncheon for all the elected officials who will be afforded the best tickets up on stage. they will be lunching with the president and leaders in congress and afterwards. all of this is something that you have to go through,

whether you like it or not. there are going to be incredible gifts given e to the president and vice president. shepard: nancy pelosi's chief of staff lead the first children along. saw shaand malia. you have a bit of personal story about one of them. taller older, of the two plays basketball with ab's children. she is 6'1". >> malia is wearing flats and almost as tall as her mother and father. watching the girls grow up in these four years is an incredible thing. look at them so beautiful in their blue, purple, and raspberry purple coats today. looking so elegant and so grown-up. shepard: you think about the bush girls and chelsea clinton, now these two living under the spotlight that is the white house and seeing members of the first family. i think people on either side of the political aisle would say these girls are pretty impressive. >> i think their parent are due some credit for keeping them, keeping them out of the spotlight but at the

same time, you do see them now and then engaging at events in the white house. engaging in volunteer work out in the communities. meeting other children. and i think they are, you know, it is a prif enare and a burden to be a first child, that's for sure. shepard: a privilege certainly but always declarng light and as i mention in they walk. let's listen here. [applause] ♪ . shepard: the first lady will come in next. scheduled for 11:10 a.m. she will enter what they call the crypt. let me join the chorus of people on every channel on your dial will mention the first bangs which made their grand entrance. even the president himself mentioned it after the official inauguration

yesterday. the first lady of course is setting the fashion trends and as has style magazines going and my goodness she looked good. >> i thought it was so cute that her husband at the national building me see yum affirmed for the entire population he likes the bangs and she lookstory risk. shepard: i wonder how long we start seeing those bangs on every woman in the capitol. probably won't be long. the first lady is next. they may be a moment behind. chris wallace, anchor of "fox news sunday" on this fox station every sunday morning is live with us. chris, time to inaugurate a president for show. >> well, indeed. let me also add that mrs. wallace, lorraine wallace, who you know well, looked at the first lady and pronounced her looking aspect tack lar. so i guess it is a clean sweep. shepard: it is affirmed. >> shep, part of the inauguration obviously will be the inaugural address and policy and all of that but part of it is just the sheer

speckel. as somebody who had the good fortune to have the place on the inaugural podium, the entire government is there. the old president, not in this case, because the old president is the new president but a former president, the new president, all of congress, all of the supreme court, really the entire united states government is all together and it's awfully exciting. you can be happy or sad with the election results but it is awfully exciting. all of this is in the constitution, the 20th of january. in this case the 21st, the oath of office, the 30 words that the president says. that is i think part of it is a celebration of america. it is a celebration of our traditions. shepard: indeed it is and the first lady walking in or will be just shortly here. chris, i know you have some presidential historians there with you. i wonder what your sense is for what this day means as far as marking, setting the tone for the next four years?

>> yeah. we're trying to get our presidential historian in. he is somewhere in the office. but jay winnick. obviously will be enormously important to see what this president has to say. it is interesting, i talked with david plouffe, one of the president's senior advisors yesterday he sent kind of a double message. on the one hand he said we need common ground that republicans and democrats coming together. that is obviously going to be awfully hard to accomplish. the president promised that in the first term. we didn't see so much of it. you can see mrs. joe biden, dr. joe biden about to come onto the inaugural platform. but he also talked about getting the public engaged, david plouffe did, and i think that will be an important part of the message here. i feel the president means the inside game just sitting down with john mccain and john boehner doesn't work so well on these issues. i think he will make aning a

aggressive effort to engage the public. he has taken his campaign organization, obama for america, and turned it into an advocacy group called, organizing for action. i think part of the effort is going to be mobilize public support for his agenda. shepard: it's my understanding the vice president will be walking, there is the first lady, michelle obama. ab stod stoddard is with us. reading all the blogs, what will she be wearing. narrate if if you will. >> she is in combination a tom brown dress. she has a different bells on. j. crew and j. crew shoes. this will go to the national arc kifs immediately after she wears it. she looks absolutely smashing. understated but truly elegant. shepard: she has entered the crypt and come down the stairs. she will be announced as we

she walks out. first lady will be followed by the president. let's listen as they make the now traditional walk. this is five inaugurations for me and walking down these stairs every day is challenge for every human who tries it. >> it is not easy. it is dark in there and slippery. this is not the time to have an accident. shepard: certainly not. only a few million, tens of millions of people watching this moment. let's listen, the first lady of the united states about to be announced as she comes in prior to the ceremonial inauguration of her husband for his second term in office. here's the first lady shepard: they're about a minute behind, maybe minute and a half.

but the first lady will be announced it is my understanding right now. >> ladies and gentlemen, the first lady of the united states. [applause] [cheers and applause] ♪ . shepard: by the hundreds of thousands they cheer across the nation's capitol for the first lady. the president enters next. chris wallace, they're a little bit behind but on a day like this, man, what a sight. >> extraordinary. they kept saying the crowd will be so much smaller. all i can tell you the shots we've had on the national mall, there are a whole lot of people here. jay winnick, a noted

american historian who wrote the quite remarkable book, april 1865 about lincoln's last days and inauguration is with us here. real quickly, jay, before the president comes out and the vice president, second inaugurations, what is special about them? >> it is special because it marks the continuing of a second term. of course we think of abraham lincoln's masterpiece second inaugural which inspired all americans of his day. i think really it's a day of humility. george washington put it best. he said after taking the oath of office my hand trembles but my heart does not. i think that pretty much sums it up. >> his was the shortest inaugural address, first ever, 135 words. lincoln's was only 700 words in 1865. a lot of people think it was the greatest speech a president ever delivered. >> it was the greatest speech a president ever delivered. the nation was in the throes of a civil war. lincoln was exhausted.

before he gave the speech he spent time in the capitol signing bills. there was a lot to work to be done. >> with malice toward none and charity for all. obviously the civil war was about to end and he was very concerned in his speech about binding up the nation's wounds. >> he faced really great challenges. the nation was very much divided. he struck the right tone. a tone all presidents including barack obama have learned from or need to learn from. >> shep? shepard: the announcing of the entrance and seating of the vice president. let's listen. [crowd noise] ♪ . >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states joseph r., biden

accompanied by -- [inaudible] [cheers and applause] >> joe, joe, joe. [applause] ♪ . shepard: the president is walking out. about to be announced. seated himself. let's listen the inauguration the second time around. the president of the united states.

>> vice president previously scheduled a book signing in the bronx. she is devoted to the bronx. and the vice president folks accommodated her and held a swearing-in ceremony for the vice president the 8:00 hour. there is no constitutional requirement for when the vice president is sworn in though the constitution stipulates the president of the united states be sworn in one minute before or one second before noon on the 20th of january. that is why, the ceremony

was held, in the white house yesterday, for what was barack obama's official swearing in for his second term. originally the white house planned to hold that ceremony private. white house corresondents association, rather vigorously protested. this was history. we would not be allowed to see so the white house changed it. and of course a pool of reporters and television cameras was allowed in there and the nation was allowed to watch, shepard. shepard: wendell, thanks. you mentioned one second before. they're running a couple minutes behind today, but since this isn't the official one you wonder if they will catch up at all. the announcement of the president will happen now. look at tens of thousand, if not hundreds of thousands on the mall in the nation's capitol and here we go.

♪ . >> the president of the united states. barack obama. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> hello, everyone.

[applause] ♪ . [shouting] ♪ . shepard: daddy has an event and kids have to come. they don't seem too upset, a.b.. >> only take as minute or so to get through it. won't be too long. they will be warm inside and

toasty. as we pointed out earlier it is not anotherly as cold as it was several years ago. this is actually their fourth swearing in for their father instead of the second. this definitely should be the last. shepard: a lot is made of new portrait, the official portrait to hang in the white house for all time. certainly a different pose, a different thought. again part of setting a different tone for the second term. >> right. well, president obama has really made clear this time is different. i don't know, we'll hear in his address what his vision is for the next four years, what his plans are, but he has definitely been, using sort of a different, different set of words, difficult kind of energy since he was reelected about finishing what he started and being a little bit more bold. he told his advisors, don't tell me, you know, what we can pull off. tell us what we want to. what do we want to do

they're expecting to put their mark on history. shepard: chris wallace, gun control is on the lies or crime control what some would like to rebrand it. chris: that is interesting. the president campaigned keeping the economy going. improving it. spreading the benefits to the middle class. immigration reform and energy reform. then newtown happened and that wasn't part of his agenda for the second term. then newtown happened and by all signs the president was deeply and personally moved. one of the reasons i suspect you can see there just to, standing to the left of them the fatherf two young daughters and the idea of these 20 young schoolchildren having been unabouted down i'm sure hit him very bern p personally. he decided to make that a huge issue in this campaign or rather in his second administration. it will be interesting to see. one of the things people say you don't want to overload the agenda but in addition everything he wants to do

and obviously the debt and deficit he will have several battles with congress over that but gun control, he will try to take advantage newtown has happened and perhaps caused a tippingpoint in public attitudes and he will push that very aggressively. shepard: senator chuck schumer, the chairman of joint congressional committee of presidential ceremonies with opening remarks. >> welcome to the capitol and this celebration of our great democracy. now this -- [cheers and applause] this is the 57th inauguration of an american president and no matter how many times one witnesses this event, its simplicity, its inate majesty and most of all its meaning, that say yesterday, yet cautious trusting of power from wee we the people to our chosen leader never fails to make our heart beat faster as it

will today with the inauguration of president barack h. obama!. [applause] now we know that we would not be here today were it not for those who stand guard around the world to preserve our freedom. to those in our armed forces, we offer our infinite thanks for your bravery, your honor, your sacrifice. [cheers and applause] this democracy of ours was forged by intellect and argument, by activism and blood and above all, from john adams to elizabeth stand ton to martin luther

king, by a stubborn adherence to a notion that we are all created equal and we deserve nothing less than a great republic worthy of our consent. the theme of this year's inaugural is, faith in america's future. the perfect embodiment of this unshakable confidence in the ongoing success of our collective journey is an event from our past. i speak of the improbable completion of the capitol dome and capping it with a statue of freedom which occurred 150 years ago in 1863. when abraham lincoln took office two years earlier, the dome above us was a half-built eyesore. conventional wisdom was that it should be left unfinished until the war ended. given the travails and financial needs of the times. but to president lincoln,

the half-finished dome symbolized a half-divided nation. lincoln said, if people see the capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the union shall go on. so despite the conflict which engulfed the nation and surrounded the city, the dome continued to rise. on december 2nd, 1863 the statue of freedom, a woman, was placed atop the dome where she still stands today. in a sublime irony, it was a former slave, now free american, phillip reed, who helped to cast the bronze statue. now our present times are not as perilous or as despairing as they were in 1863 but in 2013, far too many doubt the future of this great nation and our ability to tackle our own era's half finished domes. today's problems are intractable, they say. the times are so complex,

the differences in the country and the world so deep we will never overcome them. when thoughts like these produce anxiety, fear, and even despair, we do well to remember that americans have always been and still are a practical, optimistic, problem-solving people and that as our history shows, no matter how steep the climb, how difficult the problems, how half finished the task, america always rises to the occasion. america prevails and america prospers [applause] and those who bet against this country have inevitably been on the wrong side of history. so, it is a good moment to gaze upward and behold the statue of freedom at the top

of the capitol dome. it is a good moment to gain strength and courage and humility from those who are determined to complete the half-finished dome. it is a good moment to rejoice today at this 57th presidential inaugural ceremony and it is the perfect moment to renew our collective faith in the future of america. [applause] thank you and god bless these united states. [applause] shepard: senator chuck schumer with opening remarks. now the invocation to be delivered by --, well, maybe he is not through. apologies. >> civil rights leader, merl the e evers who committedded her life to extend our nation's founding principles. mrs. evers will lead us in the invocation. shepard: she is the naacp's

mississippi field secretary in 1963 when he was gunned down in the driveway of his jackson, mississippi home, and she carries forward his legacy. merle evers williams. >> america, we are higher here. our nation's capitol. on this day, january the 21st, 2013, the inauguration of our 45th president, barack obama. we come at this time to ask blessings upon our leaders. the president, vice president, members of congress, all elected and appointed officials of the united states of america. we are here to ask blessings upon our armed forces.

blessings upon all who contribute to the essence of the american spirit, the american dream. the opportunity to become whatever our mankind, womankind allows us to be. this is the promise of america. as we sing the words of belief, this is my country, let us act upon the meaning that everyone is included. may the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of every woman, man, boy, and girl be honored. may all your people, especially the least of these fluorish in our blessed nation. 150 years after the emancipation proclamation

and 50 years after the march on washington we celebrate the spirit of our ancestors which has allowed us to move from a nation of unborn hopes and a history of disenfranchised folks to today's expression of a more perfect union, we ask too, almighty, that where our paths seem blanketed by throngs of oppression, and riddled by pangs of despair, we ask for your guidance toward the light of deliverance and that the vision of those who came before us and dreamed of this day that we recognize that their visions still inspire us. they are a great cloud of

witnesses, unseen by the naked eye, but all arouou us, thankful that their living was not in vain. for every mountain you gave us the strength to climb. your grace is pleaded to continue that climb for america and the world. we now stand beneath the shadow of the the nation's capitol whose golden dome reflects unit and democracy of one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. approximately four miles from where we are assembled the hallowed remains of men and women rest in arlington cemetery. they who believed, fought, and died for this country.

may their spirit infuse our being to work together with respect enabling us to continue to build this nation and in so doing we send a message to the world that we are strong, fierce, in our strength. and ever vigilant in our pursuit of freedom. we ask that you grant our president the will to act courageously but cautiously when confronted with danger and to act prudently but deliberately when challenged by adversity. please continue to best his efforts, to lead by example in consideration and favor of the diversity of our people. bless our families, all

across this nation. we thank you for this opportunity of prayer, to strengthen us, for the journey through the days that lie ahead. we invoke the prayers of our grandmothers to taught us to pray, god, make me a blessing. let their spirit guide us as we claim the spirit of old. there's something within me that holds the reins. there's something within me that banishes pain. there's something within me i can not explain but all i know, america, there is something within. there is something within.

in jesus name, in the name of all who are holy and right, we pray. amen. [applause] shepard: myrl independent e evers williams, the widow of the late medgar evers. brooklyn tabernacle choir from carnegie hall to the inauguration of a president. >> the award winning tabernacle choir, the brooklyn tabernacle choir, to sing, battle hymn of the republic. shepard: 280 mostly untrained voices from church and they are impressive. ♪

♪ . ♪. he is tram plink out the vintage where "the grapes of wrath" are stored ♪. ♪ he hath loosed the fateful

lightning of his terrible swift sword ♪. ♪ his truth is marching on ♪. glory, glory, hallelujah, ♪ ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪. ♪ glory, glory hallelujah . ♪ his truth is marching on ♪. [his truth is marching on ♪. ♪ .

♪ in the beauty of the lillies christ was born across the sea with the glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me ♪. ♪ . ♪ as he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free ♪. ♪ while god is marching on ♪. ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah . ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪.

♪ our god is marching on . ♪ god is marching on . ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪. ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪. ♪ glory, glory hallelujah . ♪ god's truth, is, his truth, is marching on ♪. ♪ marching on . ♪ god's truth is marching on

♪. [cheers and applause] >> please join me in welcoming my colleague and my friend, the senator from tennessee, the honorable lamar alexander. [cheers and applause] >> mr. president, mr. vice president, ladies and gentlemen, the late alex hayley, the author of "roots"s, lived his life by these six words. find the good and praise it. today we praise the american

tradition of transferring or reaffirming immense power in the inauguration of the president of the united states. we do this in a peaceful, orderly way. there is no mob. no coup, no insurrection. this is a moment when millions stop and watch. a moment most of us always will remember. it is a moment that is our most conspicuous and enduring symbol of the american democracy. how remarkable that this has survived for so long in such a complex country when so much power is at stake. this freedom to vote for our leaders, and the restraint to respect the results. last year at mount vernon a

tour guide told me that our first president, george washington, once posed this question. what is most important, washington asked, of this grand experiment, the united states? and then washington answered his own question in this way. not the election of the first president but the election of its second t.t.ident. the peal transfer of power is what will separate our country from every other country in the world. so today we celebrate the 57th inauguration of the american president. find the good and prays it. now, it is my honor -- [applause] it is my honor to introduce the associate justice of the supreme court sonia sotomayor for the purpose of

administering the oath of office to the vice president. will everyone please stand. >> thank you. [cheers and applause] >> mr. vice president, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, joseph r. biden, jr., do solemnly swear. >> i joseph r. biden, jr., do solemnly swear. >> i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. >> that i will bear true of faith and allegiance to the same. >> i will bear truth faith and allegiance to the same. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> without any mental

reservation or purpose of evasion. >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. >> and that i will well and faithfully discharge. >> that i will well and faithfully discharge. >> duties of the on which i am about to enter. >> on the duties of the office on which i'm about to enter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations. [cheers and applause] ♪ . ♪ .

>> it is my pleasure to introduce reknowned musical artist, james taylor. [cheers and applause] ♪ . ♪ o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, ♪. ♪ for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited

plain ♪. ♪ america, america, god shed his grace on thee ♪. ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea ♪. ♪ from sea to shining sea . [cheers and applause]

>> it is my honor to present the chief justice of the united states, john g. roberts, jr., who will administer the presidential oath of office. everyone please rise. [cheers and applause] >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, barack hussein obama do solemnly swire. >> bay rauk hussein obama do solemnly swear. >> that i will faithfully execute. >> i will faithfully execute. >> the office of the president of the united states. >> the office of president of the united states. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> preserve, protect and defend. >> preserve, protect and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god. so help me god. >> congratulations mr. president. [cheers and applause]

♪ . ♪ . [cannons firing]

>> ladies and gentlemen, it is my great privilege and distinct honor to introduce the 44th president of the united states of america, barack h. obama. [cheers and applause] [applause] >> thank you.

[shouting] >> thank you. thank you so much. vice president biden, mr. chief justice, members of the united states congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens. each time we gather to inaugurate a president we bear witness to the enduring strength of our constitution. we affirm the promise of our democracy. we recall what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenants of our faith, or are origins of our names. what makes us exceptional, what makes us american, is

our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago. we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. [cheers and applause] that they are endowedded by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. today we continue a never of ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. for history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident they have never been self-executing. while freedom is a gift from

god it must be secured by his people here on earth. the patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. they gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our binding creed. for more than 200 years we have. through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword we learned no union found on the principles of liberty or and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. we made ourselves anew and vowed to move forward together.

together we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce. schools and colleges to train our workers. together we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to insure competition and fair play. together we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortunes. through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all of society's ills can be kurd through government alone. our celebration of initiative and enterprise, our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constant in our character. we have always understood that when times change so

must we. that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges. that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. for the american people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than american soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. no single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future. or build roads and networks and research labs that will bring new job and businesses to our shores. now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people. [applause]

this generation of americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. a decade of war is now ending. [applause] an economic recovery has begun. america's possibilities are limitless for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands. youth and drive, diversity and openness. an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. my fellow earns most, we are made for this moment and we will seize it, so long as we seize it together. [applse] for we, the people, understand that our country

can not succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. [applause] we believe that america's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. we know that america thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work. when wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. we are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else because she is an american, she is free and she is equal not just? the eyes of god but also in our own. [cheers and applause] we understand that outworn programs are inqad caught to the -- inadequate to the needs of our time.

we must harness new technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, reach higher. but while the means will change, our purpose endures. a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single american. that is what this moment requires. that is what will give real meaning to our creed. we, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. but we reject the belief that america must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the

generation that will build its future. [cheers and applause] for we remember the lessons of our past when twilight years were spent in poverty and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. we do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky or happiness for the few. we recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. the commitments we make to each other through medicare and medicaid and social security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us. [applause] they do not make us a nation of takers. they free us to take the

risks that make this country great. [applause] we, the people, still believe our obligations as americans are not just to ourselves but to all posterity. we will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would-be tray our children and future generations. [cheers and applause] some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and criminal pipping drought and -- crippling drought and more powerful storms. the path toward sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. but america can not resist this transition. we must lead it.

we can not cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries. we must claim its promise. that's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure. our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. that is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by god. that's what will helped meaning to the creed, our fathers once declared. we, the people. still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. [applause] our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle are

unmatched in skill and courage. [applause] our citizens, seared by the memory of those we lost, no too well the price that is paid for liberty. the none of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm but we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends and we must carry those lessons into this time as well. we will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. we will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully, not because we are naive about the dangers we face but because engagement can more endureably lift suspicion and fear. [applause] america will remain the anchor of strong alliances

in every corner of the globe and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crises abroad for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. we'll support democracy from asia to africa, from the america's to the middle east because our interests and our consnscinsenceen compel to act on behalf of those who long for freedom and we must be a source of hope for the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice, not out of mere charity but because peace in our time requires a constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes. tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice. we, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths, that all of us

are created equal. it is the star that guides us still just as it guided our forebearers through seneca falls and selma and just as they guided all those men and women, young and unsung who left footprints along this great mall to hear a preacher say that we can not walk alone. to hear a king proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on earth. [applause] it is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. for our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, our daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. [cheers and applause] our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and

sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. [cheers and applause] our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. [cheers and applause] our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america as a land of opportunity. until bright young students and engineers are listed in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. [cheers and applause] our journey is not complete until all of our children, from the streets of detroit, to the hills of appalachia to the quiet lanes of newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and

always safe from harm. that is our generation's task. to make these words, these rights, these values, of life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, real for every american. being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life. it does not mean we all define liberty in exactly the same way. or follow low the same precise path to happiness. progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. [applause]

for now, decisions are upon us and we can not afford delay. we can not mistake absolutism for principle or substitute speckel for politics or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. [applause] we must act, we must act knowing that our work will be imperfect. we must act knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare philadelphia hall. my fellow americans, the oath i have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this

capitol, was an oath to god and country, not party or faction. and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. but the words i spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty. or an immigrant realizes her dream. my oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride. they are the words of citizens and they represent our greatest hope. you and i as citizens have the power to set this country's course. you and i as citizens have the obligation to shape the debates of our time, not only with the votes we cast but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring

ideals. [applause] let us each of us now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright. with common effort, and common purpose, with passion and dedication let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom. thank you. god bless you, and may he forever bless these united states of america. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] shepard: from the 44th president and the 597th

inaugural, our journey is not complete. he talked climate change and equality in ending wars and coming together, rhetorical flourishes from the president. ahead of kelly clarkson much, and "my country tis of thee". >> at this time join me in welcoming award winning artist, kelly clarkson, accompanied by the united states marine band. ♪ .

♪ my country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee i sing ♪. ♪ land where my fathers died! land of the pilgrim's pride! from every mountainside, let freedom ring ♪.

♪ . ♪. ♪ .

♪ . [cheers and applause] shepard: for the president, kelly clarkson, ahead of the rescitation of the poem for the day.

richard blanco, the first latino, the youngest at 44, the first openly gay man to be a presidential inaugural poet. >> we have our next guest is the poet richard blanco, which he will share words for us he has composed for this occasion. [applause] >> mr. president, mr. vice president, america, one today. one sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the smokies,

greeting the faces of the great lakes, spreading a simple truth across the great plains, then charging across the rockies. one light waking up rooftops, under each one a story, told by our silent gestures moving across windows. my faith, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day. the pencil yellow school buses, the rythym of traffic lights, fruit stands, apples, limes and oranges a raid like rainbows, begging our praise. silver trucks heavy with oil or paper, bricks or milk, teaming over highways

alongside us on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives, to teach geometry, or ring up groceries, as my mother did for 20 years so i could write this poem for all of us today. all of us, as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day, equations to solve, history to question or atoms imagined. the i have a dream we all keep dreaming or the i'm possible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the empty desks of 20 children marked absent today and forever.

many prayers, but one light breathing colored over stained glass windows, light into the faces of bronze statues, warmth on the steps of our museums and park benches as mothers watch children slide into the day. one ground, our ground. rooting us to every stalk of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm. hands digging trenches, routing pipes and cables. hands as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane so my brother and i could have books and shoes. the dust of farms and deserts,

cities and plains, mingled by one wind, our breath. breathe. hear it through the days gorgeous din of honking cabs, buses launching down avenues, the sim phony of footsteps, guitars and screeching subways, unexpected songbird on your clothes line. here squeaky play ground swings, trains whistling or whispers across cafe tables, hear the doors we open each day for each other, saying, hello, shall lomb, bbonjorno. howdy. or buenos dias. and the language my mother taught me, in every language, spoken into one wind, carrying our lives without

prejudice, as these words break from my lips. one sky. since the appalachians claimed their majesty and the mississippi and coronado worked their way to the sea, thank the work of our hands. weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report for the boss on time. stitching another wound, or uniform. the first brush stroke on a portrait, or the last floor on the freedom tower, jutting into the sky that resilience. one sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes, tired from work. some days guessing at the weather of our lives. some days, giving thanks for

a love, that loves you back. sometimes praising a mother who knew how to give or forgiving a father who couldn't give what you wanted. we head home, through the gloss of rain or weight of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always, always, home. always, always under one sky, our sky and always one moon, like a silent up doctor tapping on every rooftop and every window of one country, all of us facing the stars. hope a new constellation, waiting for us to map it. waiting for us to name it together.

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, it is now my privilege to introduce dr. luis leone, to deliver the benediction. >> let us pray. gracious and eternal god, as we conclude the second inauguration of president obama, we ask for your

blessings as we seek to become in the words of martin luther king, citizens of a beloved community, loving you and loving our neighbors as ourselves. we pray that you will bless us with your continued presence, because without it, hatred and arrogance will infect our hearts. but with your blessing, we know that we can break down the walls that separate us. we pray for your blessing today, because without it, mistrust, prejudice and rancor will rule our hearts but with the blessing of your presence, we know that we can renew the ties of mutual regard which can best form our civic life. we pray for your he is breast bless blessing. fears of those different from us will be our rule of

life. but with your blessing, we can see each other created in your image, unit of god's grace, unprecedented repeatable and irreplaceable. we pray for your blessing because without it, we will see only what the eye can see, but with the blessing of your blessing, we will see that we are created in your image, whether brown, black or white, male or female, first generation immigrant american or daughter of the american revolution, gay or straight, rich or poor. we pray for your blessing because without it, we will only see scarcity in the midst of abundance but with your blessing, we will recognize the abundance of the gifts of this good land

with which you have endowed this nation. we pray for your blessing. bless all of us. privileged to be citizens and residents of this nation with a spirit of gratitude and humility that we may become a blessing among the nations of this world. we pray that you will shower with your life giving spirit the elected leaders of this land, especially barack, our president, and joe, our vice president. fill them with the love of truth and righteousness that they may serve in nation ably and be glad to do your will. endow their hearts with wisdom and forbearance so that peace may prevail with righteousness, justice with order, so that men and women throughout this nation can find with one another the fulfillment of our humanity.

we pray that the president, vice president, and all in political authority willer the words of the prophet micah, what does the lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and always walk humbly with god. [speaking spanish] mr. president, mr. vice president. may god bless you all your days. in all this we pray in your most holy name, amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the singing of our national anthem.

by award winning artist, beyonce, accompanied by the u.s. marine band. following the national anthem, please remain at your place while the presidential party exits the platform. ♪ . ♪ oh say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the

twilight's last gleaming. ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ oh, say does

that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ oer the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ [cheers and applause]

♪ .

known as the president's room. used to be many years ago used on inauguration day for the president to sign a whole lot of legislation that was passed by congress leading up to this moment, but, that kind of went out of in time as the inauguration day was separated from the end of a congressional session. now, as of president reagan's era it has been used to go in there on inauguration day and the president made sign some cabinet nominations and that sort of thing. proposed for photographs before heading into a vip luncheon just behind me where some 200 guests will be. there will be some toasts, some gifts and some congratulations, and then ultimately of course it will be back to business of running the country, shep. shepard: indeed. we're watching former presidents march through, mike, this afternoon. to say that, let's listen. bill clinton and the rest. let's listen.

well, it is hard to hear. never known if the microphone in front of them. but the truth is, it is very chilly day outside, mike. the wind kicked up during the inauguration itself and see president carter there and his wife roslyn. and realize at 49 i don't have a lot of room to complain. it is not easy duty. >> that's correct. we saw a lot of senators, filing through here on their way out to the west front of the capitol earlier, bundled up ready for a chilly, very american celebration. they will ditch their coats behind me before they go into the luncheon, will be presented with gifts. will be congratulations there. it will be interesting to see how long this good feeling continues, as we saw, the senators marching through earlier in the rotunda, there were a lot of basically good spirits saying this moment is in history. democrats and republicans mingling well together, but of course the environment

here in washington these days has been very difficult as they tackle tough fiscal issues. so will be interesting to see if a second term honeymoon lnery ver long or whether essentially one day before, republicans or democrats are back slugging it out, tomorrow, shep. shepard: the smart money on the latter. mark, constitution commands this inauguration will take place on the 20th of january each year at high noon and it did just that yesterday. this is really for ceremony and for show what happens to be the day which we celebrate the life of dr. martin luther king, jr.. my understanding there is statue of him just above and i wonder how that will play into matters today? >> that's right. president obama made reference in recent days feeling connection to dr. king 50 years ago. also to president lincoln, 150 years ago, and so, as part of the inaugurations, we've seen him use bibles from dr. king and also from

president lincoln. there is a statue. there is a statue of dr. king in the capitol rotunda of dr. king. so, this martin luther king holiday, obviously takes on extra significance here in the rotunda. we'll watch obviously to see what the president may do throughout the course of his time here in the rotunda. shepard: mike, it was interesting to hear the matters the president brought up, came up throughout this day. we heard, a lot about climate change, the tragedy of newtown came up repeatedly, which clearly, news from the future i believe. from an agenda at least, from the president himself. those were two highlights along with ending the war and bringing the peace and coming together. a lot right there in that 30 seconds. >> you're correct. setting the table for the second term. we expect he will give us a lot more specifics when he returns here to the capitol to deliver a state of the union address in the next few weeks and so, what his

aides we're telling us going into the speech, look for broad strokes, if you will on this speech. but to get down to detailed specifics in the state of the union, which will be a fully speech, a longer speech, but to really lay out specifics of where he wants to go over the course of the next four years. shepard: mike, the president should be coming through the rotunda in just a moment. we'll come back to you for that. our main manned, wendell goler, working at white house for many decades. wendell a lot of rhetorical flourishes, for things to come as president who has short window of opportunity to accomplish what is expansive legislative agenda. >> i think, shep, you're right. we also got an understanding of how barack obama's seized politics, the role he sees for politics as my colleague mike emanuel pointed out. he was sworn in on two bibles, today. one used by abraham lincoln when the country was at its

lowest point, certainly the most divided. ironically sworn in by the chief justice of the supreme court who four years earlier authored the dred scott decision which held congress didn't have the power to ban slavery, just two years after that. president lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. that was 150 years ago, this month. the other bible, traveling bible of martin luther king, the president said without king, he probably could not have become president. and then, he, in an explanation of how he sees politics, he said, he quoted from the constitution. he said, god may have give us the enalienable right liberty and pursuit of happiness but was never self-executing. freedom is a gift of god but secured by his agents here on earth. then the president got to the most pointed parts of his inaugural address this

year. went on to say that our journey is not complete until we have equal pay for equal work for women. until we have gay rights, seen as civil rights, until, we have immigration reform, and until as he put it, our children know they are cherished, and safe from harm, from the streets of detroit, to the quiet lanes of newtown connecticut. shepard: wendell, thanks so much. president and vice president proceeding through the rotunda. to the president's room for signing ceremony. mr. obama and dr. biden will go to the side. sergeant-at-arms and paul irving will announce and signing will begin. mike emanuel in the row taund today. to you. >> reporter: we see lawmakers coming into the capitol rotunda. the president is obviously

in great spirits. this obviously is a happy day for him and his family and for the american people. this is uniquely american day. the president seemed to be in great spirits. said hello to supporters as coming through. very deliberate in his steps. definitely looked around and observed beautiful artwork here in the rotunda and made his way to very ornate room in the united states capitol, the president's room. just off the senate chambers. so. not his first time going through the process. definitely seemed to take a some moments to enjoy the view, recognizing the magnitude of this moment, shep. shepard: mike, thanks. we have a presidential historian and dean of the school of communication at hofstra university, on long island, new york. evan joins us. it thoughts briefly what we just witnessed? >> i think first of all we just heard somebody used to teach constitutional law takes the constitution very seriously. first thing he made reference to at least five

times in the speech. talked about, used the phrase, we the people. so i think he was really plugging into that sense of majesty we have about this day. this is a day, really, hard to equal in any other place in the world, that we had this peaceful transfer or peaceful reaffirmmation of power every four years for 224 years. i was also struck by the generational theme he. he was trike striking there a the end. you know, kennedy famously said in 196 is a torch is passed to a new generation. obviously this is second term. he can't make the same claim. shepard: certainly not. >> he was taking on the notion of a fresh group of people stepping up and new cast to face. shepard: pardon the interruption. the signing ceremony beginning in the president's room.

>> this will be done with great dispatch. mr. jack lew of the treasury. mr. charles hagel for defense. mr. john kerry, secretary of state. the and mr. john brennan of virginia, for -- [inaudible] there you go. thank you very much, everybody. shepard: nancy pelosi, eric cantor.

a.b. stoddard here with me from "the hill." columnist, editor. the signing happened in the president's room. >> with the very people he has been dealing with. majority leader cantor and house speaker john boehner on the fiscal cliff and onto the very important debate over whether and how and when to raise the debt ceiling, these are, it is a time of high tension. these are not people who get together often when. they do it is not easy, but everyone is playing a role today of high ceremony and giving it respect that it deserves. president obama is clearly, in a relaxed mood, enjoying, enjoying this, this occasion. you could see when he left to go back inside the capitol, i thought it was interesting to look a last look at the sea bodies down the mall and sort of drinking it in. it was interesting. he knows he has a few hours

before it becomes the grueling combat again of governing and moving on to his ambitious agenda. shepard: certainly is ambitious is. wendell goler, it will be a tall hill to climb. first the matter of the signing of his choice for secretary of state and the rest. if you would, take us through that. >> reporter: caught us off-guard, shepard. we had to reach out and find out exactly what he was doing. that wasn't part of the usual inaugural ceremony. but as he has just taken the office ceremonially for a second term, he now signed nominations for several members of his cabinet for a second term, former nebraska, senator, mr. hague gell, to be, secretary of defense. jack lew, to move over to become secretary of treasury. john kerry, massachusetts senator, to be secretary of state and john brennan the president's homeland security advisor goes back to the cia spent some 25

years of the agency, shepard. shepard: there is a process all ahead for that, wendell. like you i was surprised to see that happening before lunch here. >> reporter: it caught us off-guard as well. we had to figure out what exactly what he was doing. he has been ceremonially president for a couple of minutes of the he took the real swearing-in ceremony yesterday. for the cameras he today, he has begun to form his second term cabinet. shep. shepard: thank you, sir. rick newman, chief business correspondent for "u.s. news & world report" and is live with us in new york city. rick, economically speaking on the economy and the debt ceilingings and the rest there are miles to go before we sleep. >> there are echoes of campaign speeches president obama gave last year. he used to talk about an economy built to last. that was his program for a

lot of infrastructure spending, things like that. he didn't use that phrase in the inaugural address but he referred to some of these same things, preserving individual freedom requires collective action. that is president we know and love. empowering citizens and. he talked about programs to help the economy get back on its feet and pick up seem steam. those things are not real popular in congress. many of the ideas he proposed last year didn't go anywhere, shep. that suggests we'll see more of locking of horns over the economic programs obama wants to see over the next four years. shepard: a.b., there have been so many periods of history where one side or the other has veered, democrats to the left or republicans to the right. a matter of centering happens. it appears this is one of the moments for which the president is striving at least, to try to get both side on the matter of fixing the government. from the president's

perspective, when the private sector can not act, the government must react, and the government must spend and organize. that appears to be what the president is hoping for. >> that is true but the president is really not, he is not looking at a situation where he can move the other party to the center and he can move to the center himself. he is talking, and rick is right, about an activist government. he is talking about government as an equalizer in what he said in an economic recovery that is beginning he said in his inaugural speech. we're really talking about whether or not, a question of political will, whether or not or not there is political will not on obama's part, but within our government for stimulus spending more infrastructure investment. education investment, things that president obama are necessary for a economy. there is no political will there for those things, only now, how to get out of spiraling debt crisis. how to take it head on. we have a deadline with the debt ceiling.

at which we'll be at the precipice of default. president obama certainly made the call today, for, equality. he made the call for us to work together, but he will have to do a lot to get there. because the political will is not there, for his agenda of 2009, nor is it there for this expansive agenda. back to cabinet secretaries, he has not even filled out a cabinet, happened pretty late. he has to fill out a national defense team, security team. we're looking at fights, even though we imagined they will all be confirmed. we're looking big fights on those before we even get to the state of the union address and move onto the debt ceiling deadline. there is so much acrimony. if he wants to get back to using the government to try to stablize the economy, that is political will that just doesn't exist right now. shepard: evan, presidential historian, is there a time which you can point where the nation was so divided and solutions seemed so elusive, that, this sort of rhetoric, might have been

able to bring back together, especially as the republicans examine a mirror that shows their party, so enunevenly divided? >> i don't think the rhetoric will pull the country back together. it is political realities and self-interest of the parties involved. you see in the steps of the republican party over the last month or so a bit of the realization the playing field has changed. they see who won the presidential election, they see what happened in the senate and house election to a certain extent, been a little bit of pulling in of horns. whether that is fight to fight down the road or not. a little bit of different atmosphere, before november. so i think, you can go back and certainly see times when the country was equally or more divided. you know, i think that there is, there is actually, when you look at idealogical differences between the

parties, obama has largely kind of adhered to the clintonian new democratic party which is a more moderate party, than the one of say the 1970s. and one that is interested in looking seriously, it sees a deficit as a problem. clearly republicans and democrats see a different mix of taxes or spending cuts as best way to address that. what i think is hopeful, both do see this as a real problem for moving forward. shepard: secretary clinton there, with senator john kery, the secretary of state nominee at least. ab stoddard, i can't imagine that the fight for john kerry would be one that would drag on too long? >> no, that is not going to be but secretary clinton testifies tomorrow, wednesday on the benghazi incident. shepard: that should be quite a show. >> that will be quite tense. there was originally talk of delaying the nomination of john kerry until she committed to a date for that testimony, completed the

testimony but there will be fights as i said on john brennan and chubb hagel and others even, jack lew. all people that, both parties expect to eventually be confirmed. fights nonetheless, republicans are willing to take on with the president in second term. shepard: we have discussions on fox news channel, this is order of the day. we're on the fox broadcast network and sea to shrining sea. they're not used to hearing all this inside baseball. i wonder if you splap to people, why it is that the fights are necessary for political purposes when it is all going to happen anyway? why must the nation endure this? >> well the nation has always endured this shep. i know it is not fun. we're dealing with a situation where our political system, for many reasons has changed. not just the people. just the system itself. the professionals, professionization of politics. need to raise money you need

to get in town. shepard: money needs to be taken out of it, is what you're saying? >> i don't advocate any personal policy shifts the business of politics has changed and allowed for the polarization and separation the way the districts are drawn in this country. 79% of us wake up every day in district our vote means nothing because the outcome has been decided. these are realities dealing with. very red republican districts. members of congress were reelected to. mr. president, i don't care you were reelected to protect this program and spend more. i came here to cut spending and i'm not raising the debt ceiling until you cut it. these are fights on both sides where the participants were sent here to do totally separate things. shepard: welcome to washington. the president spoke a lot we the people today. very few uses of word i. a lot of uses of collective we. we are on the national maul, as is our main man on campaigns, carl cameron. happy inauguration day.

what happened with the folks? >> thanks very much. they're beginning to depart obviously, generally without incident. a great crowd, yet to have estimates. probably somewhere between 5 and 700,000. much smaller than four years ago. second innagurals tend to be less than enthusiastic. there was no shortage of aspirational rhetoric from the president and the poet that spoke. clearly the crowd loved it. there are big obama fans here. it was not meant to be a partisan event and part of the peaceful transition to power as outlined a few centuries ago. yet what the president said has republican and conservative lips wagging this morning, tongues wagging worried what it is that could be the impact and results of the obama agenda if left unchecked by the conservative right in this country. that building at the opposite end of pennsylvania avenue that president obama will parade back down to the other end of pennsylvania avenue is divided one. democrats control the

senate. republicans controlled the house. differed dramatically on whole host of issues many which the president enumerated today. emphasized climate change. we know we will deal with this year. debt ceiling, entitlement reform, et cetera, et cetera. right and left, republicans and democrats are diametrically opposed with their orthodoxy. democrats more moderate with republicans on certain things. republicans are more send activity that work with democrats. in the wake of the 2012 election as we look forward what is happening with the president's second term there are historical realities. the country is system of two parties and they compete hard. they compete hard for their agendas and it is not going to be an easy year. a second term is difficult one. the first year of four is really the best, some say only opportunity to pass legislation effectively. after the second year of a second term, on comes the midterm, 2014 will be a very, very important time which

will determine by who is ted anated aho wi, what the republican and democratic presidential candidates look like in the back of president obama's second term and who his successor will be. something that has not happened in many years, not at all inconceivable. everyone recognizes in this city and across the country the stakes could not be higher. the debt, deficit, entitlement reform. immigration, foreign policy problems tend to be incredibly important in second terms as presidents realize, while they become lame ducks that advancing domestic agenda legislation is very difficult. we'll see the president likely travel more and deal with much of his international legacy. trying to wrap up his second term as best he can with so much unfinished foreign policy business he inhurted from bush administration. buckle up, jeff. not with standing the poet's kind words and the president's lofty rhetoric, washington tomorrow goes back into the being the

political crawl city it has been in past years and likely to escalate more so. happy day, shep. shepard: happy day. at least we have today and men and women from both political parties, from the far right, far left and all of those in the middle, they're about to sit down for some individual tils. happy they are all are, dvittles. secretary lew and the rest for new cabinet sick tears all with fights ahead. we seen former presidents interacting with paul ryan at left. every four years, a.b., we're able to watch what is about to be a big lunch. to see look how happy they are and realize it is not true. >> this is really nice. chris van hollen, congressman from maryland, actually my congressman speaking with paul ryan on the budget committee together. van hollen is ranking member. he played him in rehearseals for the debates, for joe biden.

they look like they're getting along, talking to incoming treasury secretary and hopefully getting ready to have productive conversations in the weeks to come. but it is, it is an interesting time where everyone has been talking today about the majesty of the day, the respect for the process, even if romney had been here, no matter who is here, always festive and always ma jesstic and always serious. it is a day where we feel a lot of pride. everyone on capitol hill, even when they fight they all feel it is a huge honor to be part of this system and taking part in a day like this. they're all from districts around the country. this is a privilege for them to take part in this, no matter how much they're fighting over big bills. shepard: the camera, carl cameron is lingering on president clinton. frankly whose star has risen more in recent months than his? who was given more credit for the eventual last stretch push of barack obama

that he, president clinton, adversary one time, south carolina made famous words, which linker there, four years ago, regarding race relations and the rest. it was president clinton who pushed this his candidacy forward. in large part credited for helping him be inaugurated on this day. carl cameron. name was separated by two minutes. apologies. >> reporter: no apology, shep. george her members walker bush and george w. bush. the first president bush suffering from respiratory illness. is now back at home. george w. bush, current predecessor chose to send their regrets. having said that we shouldn't overemphasize or even suggest that partisan

gridlock is a negative. our system. in fact the founders were deliberate in their attempt to check power by making sure we had checks and balances. by dividing the powers between our government so that no president could become a dictator. no president could become a monarch. so no member of congress could be left without plenty of colleagues and staffers and oversight from. one thing for sure the very fruition what the founders intended the government stays small and by the people. shepard: carl, thanks. first order of the day is lunch as we approach the top of the hour. it is 1:00 on the east coast, 10:00 a.m. on the west coast, this is fox and my network's continuing coverage of the inauguration of the 44th president of the united states for the second term in office.

it is lunchtime. here is how this day -- >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. bay rauk hussein obama do solemnly swear. >> bay rauk hussein obama do solemnly swear. >> that will faithfully execute. >> i will faithfully execute. >> office of the president of the united states. >> the office of president of the united states. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> preserve, protect and defend. >> preserve, pretech and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations, mr. president. [cheers and applause] shepard: the ceremonial swearing-in for the 57th time, now the parades will begin and the inaugural ball this evening ceremonially. eg[lm5çñ0czw

>> no, that is true. and he is certainly, he used beautiful prose to describe that our journey is not complete until these rights are true for every one of us. the fight over immigration reform, gun control, climate change, are huge political fights. fights he is probably unlikely to win, maybe with the exception of perhaps immigration reform because the republican party feels it needs to broaden its base by passing a form of immigration reform and being on board for some --. shepard: looks like do it or die though for republicans, doesn't it? >> true but there is something, no one the noted yet that i wanted to make note of.

the president to move onto a clean fight over gun control, shepard, immigration reform, in this year 2013, will have to get beyond this fiscal crisis and the debt ceiling debate. he can only do so by offering an exchange for, in exchange for any kind of new revenues to help balance books and increase the debt, some form of entitlement reform, some kind of curb of the growth of spending for medicare. no, for example, president obama said today and these are ringing in the ears of conservatives, social security does not make us a nation of takers. you heard in the campaign about the makers and takers. they freed us to take make the country great. no sign he is prepared to pare down on the programs or cut them. he made clear in the speech between lines he will take a partisan stance on these issues that don't, that isn't going to breed consensus. not going to be able to make

a centrist climate change plan pass the congress, a centrist immigration reform plan or any kind of gun control that republicans would ever vote for. shepard: it is astounding. introductions for lunch. let's listen. statuary hall. shepard: the vice president came in with his wife, dr. jill biden. then, they stick to script with this thing, ab. i feel like i've been doing this. watching these all my live from the platform. they do the same thing. >> you know what is so interesting? shepard: same sort of talks about, this climate change fight. he will fight it like a republican hasn't known. if you don't believe climate change is real despite the science. >> many republicans do not. shepard: might be time for a

science course. >> if president obama --. shepard: one of the things we heard about the president he doesn't spend time in meetings meeting with both sides. that is not how he runs things. that is one of the complaints of republicans throughout. >> that is one of the things you're talking about bill clinton brought him over the finishing line if the campaign for re-election. shepard: he did. >> bill clinton has a magic touch with people, his adversaries and his allies. president obama will have to learn from bill clinton to spend more time with people if he wants to get from here to march, let alone pass such a sweeping agenda in his second term. it is really interesting part of his job he almost seems to, to think came as a surprise. this is the job that he chose. if he wants to get stuff done, he will have to start reaching out and really trying to make these connections, with anyone who

has of like mind. he was friend with senator tom coburn in the senate. why didn't he spend more time with him --. shepard: making the argument -- >> in his first four years. shepard: the first thing that happened was, republicans said they would block everything he tried to do. >> that is entirely true. shepard: that is their agenda. stop him from being reelected. and didn't work out. >> that is entirely true. if you want to stop a economic crisis and sweeping legislation and ambitious agenda and promote growth through recovery, you can't give up. you can't give up on the other side. clinton wouldn't. shepard: wouldn't and didn't. >> it was interesting. i remember, every christmas is difficult. we're watching this lunch thinking always the same, it is always the same room but every inauguration is different. i remember i was pool at bottom of the steps at the back of the capitol on the east front when clinton left office. shepard: that took about 40 years. i remember it distinctly. >> what a different man. what a different image he has now. so fascinating, it was

just --. shepard: it was a long good-bye. >> but remember, he had been shamed by the lewinsky scandal and impeachment. al gore lost in his election campaign where he refused to campaign with bill clinton and take him on as visible partner in his own campaign. here he is the most popular man at this lunch today. listen. ♪ . >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states, joseph r. biden, jr., and dr. biden, accompanied by senator lamar alexander and mrs. alexander.

shepard: are you curious what is for lunch, a.b.. >> i'm curious. shepard: it will be quite a lunch. we'll tell you the calorie content. listen in. more announcements. shepard: through the rotunda. here is what is for lunch. first course, steamed lobster with new england clam chowder sauce and lobster tails. we'll hear this first. stand by, there is more food to come. ♪ .

>> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack h. obama and mrs. obama, accompanied by senator charles e. schumer and mrs. schumer. [applause] ♪ . shepard: clam chowder, sweet potato hey is the first course. bison, butter nut, squash, puree, baby golden beats and green beans. red potato horse raddish cake. wild huckleberry reduction. then there is a dessert of course. third course, hudson valley apple pie with sour cream ice cream, aged chee and honey. pie dough, sim mon apple crumble, apples, sour cream,

maple caramel finish. we're having day old pizza. that sounds delicious. guess what the calorie count if you eat it all is? >> if you eat all of your courses at your lunch you're consuming more than 3,000 calories and 182 grams of sugar. shepard: correct. and that sounds perfect to me. fat, per serving, 45.7 grams. it is going to be a great day. mr. president president? >> mr. president?

>> ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. mr. president, mr. vice president, honored guests, my colleagues on the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies and i are pleased to welcome you to today's inaugural luncheon. in this historic room we look around at the 35 statues representing men and women. well, one woman. thank you, illinois and senator durbin, for the statue of francis willard. i feel obligated to note she was born in rochester, newy k.

thankfully, she will soon have company when rosa parks completes her journey from the back of the bus to the front of statuary hall later this year. [applause] >> we look around and remember the men and women that helped define our nation. they like us faced obstacles and they like us worked hard to remove this country forward. here in this hall, four presidents took the oath of office. here abraham lincoln served a single term in congress and john quincy adams. only former president to return to serve in the house, spoke out against slavery. we also remember an event that took place outside of this building but reverberated within n this marks the 50th anniversary of the reverend martin

luther king, jr.'s march on washington which spurred passage of the historic civil rights laws. we're honored to have a with us, a colleague, congressman john lewis, who was a speaker at that historic march. [applause] congressman lewis's life represents the courage and sacrifice that makes our nation great. john, please stand and take a bow so we all can recognize you. [applause] behind us, the painting we have chosen for this luncheon is niagra falls, painted in 1856 by ferdinand richard. for me as a new yorker,

niagra falls never fails to inspire, tremendous awe of the natural beauty of our great country. then and now, the mighty falls symbolized the grandeur, power and possibilities of america. i want to thank my former senate partner, our great secretary of state hillary clinton, for allowing us to borrow this beautiful painting from the state department collection. but frankly we aren't here for the paintings. we're here for the food. while the theme of today's ceremony is faith in america's future today's menu could be labeled faith in america's food. from the new england lobster, to the heirloom vegetables to the south dakota bison to the wonderful new york wines, each element was carefully chosen and expertly prepared. it was actually chosen by

the tasting committee which accounted debbie daner, andrew reed, diana cantor, paul pelosi, honey alexander and my wife, iris. they did a great effort. they did a great job and the evident was truly bipartisan. so if you don't like the food, you can't blame it on one party or the other. but i know that won't happen. i know you will enjoy it. before we begin, it is my privilege to ask the reverend luis cortez june i don't are --, jr., head of esperanza, to deliver the invocation and afterwards lunch will be served. >> everyone rise. >> let us join together in prayer. dear god, in this room stand women and men of differing beliefs. different understanding how

you reveal yourself, how you reveal your will and your desire to us. yet at this moment our nation joins with us in prayer and supplycation that despite political differences within these chambers and despite the fact at times we make take for granted things unique to our american democracy, we be united and hope in aspiration for the future of our nation. we pray for continued freedom, freedom to pursue happiness. freedom to create goodness. freedom to preserve the common good. we pray for continued liberty, liberty to preserve our rights. liberty to defend our understanding of good. liberty to dwell ourselves fully as you would have us. our nation prays with us. we ask our leaders be endowed with wisdom. they may know which path they should move our nation.

with courage they may go against their own when necessary for the common good of our lee loved america. with resolve that they not fire but move unrelenting towards that common good. we pray a blessing on the house of representatives, on our senate and judicial executive branches. we stow on every member, spiritual protection and good health. we uphold president barack obama and his family in the same manner. we're thank full for the religious freedom of this nation. for our family and friends and for this meal which we will now share, remembering there are still those who suffer hunger in our nation. we have all joined in this prayer, in our particular god's name and i in the name of jesus christ, my lord and savior. amen and amen. >> thank you, mr. president.

>> please be seated and enjoy lunch. shepard: and they will. they will do it without our prying eyes because nobody wants to eat while stuck on camera. so whether that they dropped the pool feed from inside and all the people who do everything will enjoy 3,000 calories and 46 grams. shannon bream is live in the reserve section on the capitol lawn with some of the ticketholders for today's event. shannon, happy inauguration day? >> reporter: and to you as well, shepard. i'm sorry we're missing that lunch. i guess our tickets got lost in the mail. these folks, our tick kits did not get lost. early in the morning before the sun was up, it was dark outside. people came from all over the country. we talked with folks as far away as hawaii. they wanted to be here for the special day. some first-time folks said to be in the presence of an snaug race, to celebrate our country and celebrate with president obama was not

something they wanted to miss. when they found an opportunity they wanted to get here. we talked to folks who were here four years ago. interesting to talk about the contrast and naller crowd. it was sort of more organized. they were working through security and layer up to be ready. folks are very excited and responding to a number about things the president had to say today. i heard you talking earlier about the speech and folks heard it live. certain points got a lot of attention. talking about trying to find a way to work together. you know, there was talk that folks wanted to hear more of that. some of the folks i talked to that attended four years ago, said they know the problems still exist in this country. they have great hopes for this president. they're glad he has a second term but they do think in some respects that the washington is broken. they would like to see more compromise. something they haven't seen. we'll see if we get it the next four years. they were celebrating and grand children and go home to share the story.

part of being here, for the 57thth presidential inauguration. it was cold day and very well-attended as you can see. shepard: absolutely. thanks very much. shannon bream live with us out on the mall. as they began lunch, sun came out. thoughts on the day from a man who experienced so many of them. correspondent wendell goler from the capitol building. hello again, wendell. >> reporter: shepard, very different day this than four years ago. not just because of the crowds were a fraction of size. we have had four years to get many could supportable with the idea of -- comfortable with the idea of having a african-american president. and four years to think about something the president said before but we really didn't focus on. that is the changes he wants, the changes that many people desire are not going to be easy now. the president came to washington with a promise to

change the city. he is arguably not delivered on it. we're still stuck with economic growth that is too slow, debt and deficits that are too high. the president's supporters say he faced republican obstructionism from the very start. that too a failure. remember, mitch mcconnell saying his priority was to deny the president a second term. that failed not only in his focus but failed to bring the compromises the country needed. the president faced with a huge majority in congress part of his first term, said he thought he would seem roll republicans. that sailed as well. the affordable care act not insuring as many people as the president hoped. the stimulus billotrly creatinging as many jobs. both have arguably failed to a certain extent how they

went about their job in his first term. maybe they will look for compromise in the second, shepard. shepard: wendell goler thanks very much. good to hear from you. let's bring in our panel. rick newman, evan and a.b. stoddard from "the hill." give us historical perspective, evan, this day that leads into tomorrow and work. how will tomorrow be any different than yesterday? >> i think you know the answer to that. it will not be much different than yesterday. shepard: yeah. >> and the day after that will not be any different either. this is, i don't think anybody involved in this has any illusions that this, any kind of soaring rhetoric will change that. so, i think, you know, second terms have on about problematic for a lot of presidents. you look at, you know look at george w. bush. you look at ronald reagan. you look at bill clinton. look at a lot of people second materials were not great. so we'll see. shepard: rick newman from an economy standpoint, the republicans have, well, they have blinked i guess you

could say. going to wait three more months and fight this fight again on the debt ceiling. between now and then there is lot of work to be done. >> yeah, but obama has a tailwind going into his second term in terms of the economy. just a couple figures to give you some idea. if wash does nothing special to help the economy over the next four years we're probably still going to see 10 million new jobs by the time obama leaves office in 2017. in his first term the economy only created $470,000 jobs. there is good and bad news for obama. the bad news he will not fight a horrible recession when he started out in 2009. the bad news, because the economy will sort of be limping along i don't think he will find a lot of support for some of the economic measures he wants to see, somewhat he might call job stimulating ideas. so the real question for obama in his second term is, what is he going to do new to help really reinvigorate an economy that just kind of is tired right now. i don't think we've heard any new ideas, including

today in his speech. that is one of the things i will be looking for the next few months, shep. rick newman, thanks. ab stoddard from "the hill." i will look to see what it is that the republicans do now. that is a divided party. they make no claims otherwise. how republicans will come together with an agenda that can work against the president? >> well, republicans want to cut spending and shrink government and that's their goal. what they decided to do with this new tactical move to avoid a big fight at the edge of default and put it off for three months is smart because they don't want to be blamed for any economic damage that would occur as a result of getting that close to default. what businesses has told the president and his advisors when they keep telling business leaders to tell those pub republicans to pass a debt ceiling increase and not rattle global markets, businesses are asking for entitleme